Used colloquially as an expletive, “Skinty Fia” roughly translates from the Irish language into English as “the damnation of the deer”; the spelling crassly anglicised, and its meaning diluted through generations. As such it resonated as all members of Fontaines DC moved away from Ireland for the first time and grappled with holding onto a sense of place and identity.

For the artwork, a real deer was brought into the foyer of a red-lit house, to convey the feeling of existing in a place without belonging. This striking imagery was effective across the campaign. This included moving deer footage used for Spotify canvas teasers, Apple album motion artwork, and digital ad creative. Alternative shots were used variously – from an alternative cover on the deluxe LP, to signed prints for indies with an exclusive image.

We wanted to capture and translate the feeling of Skinty Fia. The weekend prior to the announcement, a mural appeared in Dublin by The Bernard Shaw pub with the Skinty Fia gothic text. The site was chosen for its significance as a cultural institution that had been forced to close its doors. Artwork with a dictionary definition of the saying appeared on billboards in London, Manchester, Glasgow and New York and on the band’s website. Later, Spotify posted social content where the band elaborated on the meaning.

The album announcement was followed by a remote Jimmy Fallon performance which referenced the creative of the ‘Jackie Down The Line’ video, putting the band’s live performance front and centre in both.

Another campaign element was reaching and galvanising the band’s younger audience. This was achieved partly by showing more of the band’s personalities and utilising short-form videos in newer placements (TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts). Title track ‘Skinty Fia’ was exclusively teased on TikTok. Following album release, the ‘70s heist movie-influenced ‘Roman Holiday’ video was revealed, starring each band member in character roles. A film trailer and a poster appeared in Crack magazine with a QR code directing to the YouTube premiere.

The band’s TikTok growth culminated in a viral moment when 16-year-old Dexter was invited to play guitar on stage with them at Reading festival.